Gators display flowing offense in spring finale

Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson runs for a touchdown during the Orange and Blue Debut at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, April 12, 2014 in Gainesville, Fla.

Matt Stamey/Staff photographer

By Robbie AndreuStaff writer

Published: Saturday, April 12, 2014 at 7:33 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, April 12, 2014 at 7:33 p.m.

Still scarred and wary coming off an offensively challenged 4-8 season, Florida fans showed up at The Swamp on Saturday afternoon expecting/hoping/praying to finally see some offense. And the Gators delivered.

What new offensive coordinator Kurt Roper's spread, uptempo offense produced certainly was a refreshing change from last season, and the Gators' last performance at Florida Field — a 30-point loss to Florida State in which first downs were hard to come by, much less big plays and points.

By comparison, the offensive flowed Saturday in the spring game.

The totals were unrecognizable by recent Florida standards: a combined 111 plays, 46 points, 606 total yards, only one turnover and two minor penalties.

“I'm extremely pleased with the day offensively with 15 practices and how far we've come,” UF coach Will Muschamp said after the Orange & Blue Debut ended in a 23-23 tie before an announced crowd of 35,834. “I think you can attribute all that to Kurt Roper and the offensive staff and the job they've done.

“Our kids have been very receptive and have confidence in what we're doing. I think it's a good fit moving forward. We didn't get to some of the quarterback running game, which is what you will see in the fall that helps us even further with (quarterback) Jeff (Driskel) and what he can do.”

After getting off to a slow start with a quick three-and-out, Driskel and the No. 1 offense rolled up and down the field the rest of the first half, scoring 23 points and piling up 258 total yards.

For the game, Driskel completed 19 of 33 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown (a 31-yard play to wide receiver Demarcus Robinson) and completed passes to eight different players.

“I thought we were very efficient. We moved the ball very well,” Driskel said. “We only turned it over one time, only had one penalty on (the No. 1) offense. When you're not beating yourself up, you can really gain momentum and gain confidence.

“We had some big plays. That's just something we're going to have to continue to do in order to have a good offense, and I think we will.”

Driskel, who appears comfortable in the no-huddle, shotgun scheme, said the players have great confidence in Roper's offense.

“It (means) a lot. You have to believe in the scheme, which I'm sure our guys do,” he said. “When you turn on the film of Duke from the last few years, they spread the ball around, they give it to a bunch of guys, and a bunch of guys making big plays.

“When you see that from their team, it's exciting when you look at our skill players on offense.”

UF's skill players certainly showed up Saturday.

Mack Brown and Adam Lane were effective running the ball, 12 different players caught passes for the Orange team, eight caught passes for the Blue and reserve quarterbacks Skyler Mornhinweg and Will Grier also did some positive things. Mornhinweg threw for 149 yards and two touchdowns, including a 10-yarder to tight end Bair Diamond that tied the game with only seven seconds remaining.

“(Today's performance) is definitely a sample of what we're going to do (this season),” said sophomore wide receiver Ahmad Fulwood, who had four receptions for 32 yards. “I mean, no huddles, speed, tempo, that's what we embark on, so I guess that's just what we're going to do. That's how we're going to show up when it comes to game day.

“You're not going to get anything less. We still have stuff to put in, but this (is the way we're going to play).”

If Saturday's performance is an indication of things to come, the Gators will be balanced on offense in the fall. It's something UF did not have last season, especially after Driskel was knocked out for the year in the third game.

UF has shown promise in the passing game this spring — and in Saturday's game.

“The passing game, we've really narrowed things down, we've simplified things for our receivers and quarterbacks in the amount of reads we're doing,” Muschamp said. “One of Kurt's strengths, and one of the reasons I hired him, is the development at the quarterback position. I think the guy is really good.

“I talked to Archie Manning a lot about the development of Eli (at Ole Miss under Roper) and what he felt Kurt did for him in that process. When you're able to talk to somebody first-hand it really says a lot about his development at the quarterback position.

“Jeff has made a lot of strides. Jeff hasn't played football in a while. He really missed the whole fall. He missed the first 12 days of camp and really played only two full ballgames. We're real pleased with where he is.”

Driskel said his confidence is up.

“I just think the more snaps you get as a quarterback, the more confidence you're going to have,” he said. “I think I'm seeing the field extremely well. I don't know if that's because I've gotten more experience and more confidence. I think that just comes with playing more football. But I think I am seeing the field really well right now and it's a lot of the game has slowed down for me."

Coming out of high school, Driskel was considered the nation's No. 1 dual-threat quarterback working out of a shotgun, spread offense similar to the one he finds himself in now under Roper.

“As a quarterback when you're in a no-huddle-type deal, you're able to get into rhythm,” he said. “We do have a lot of quick game and when you start getting completion after completion, it kind of builds your confidence and gets you in a rhythm that sometimes is tough for the defense to break."

Driskel and the Gators were in an offensive rhythm Saturday. Now it's a matter of finding a way to carry it over into the fall when the games count.

“The summer is for timing on the offensive side,” Driskel said. “We're going to have to throw a lot and get our timing down. You can't go back into fall camp without being in rhythm. So we're going to have to do that, but we're used to that. We've done that the past few summers. It's nothing new to us, and we're looking forward to it.”

Contact Robbie Andreu at 352-374-5022 or andreur@gvillesun.com. Also check out Andreu's blog at Gatorsports.com.

<p>Still scarred and wary coming off an offensively challenged 4-8 season, Florida fans showed up at The Swamp on Saturday afternoon expecting/hoping/praying to finally see some offense. And the Gators delivered.</p><p>What new offensive coordinator Kurt Roper's spread, uptempo offense produced certainly was a refreshing change from last season, and the Gators' last performance at Florida Field — a 30-point loss to Florida State in which first downs were hard to come by, much less big plays and points.</p><p>By comparison, the offensive flowed Saturday in the spring game.</p><p>The totals were unrecognizable by recent Florida standards: a combined 111 plays, 46 points, 606 total yards, only one turnover and two minor penalties.</p><p>“I'm extremely pleased with the day offensively with 15 practices and how far we've come,” UF coach Will Muschamp said after the Orange & Blue Debut ended in a 23-23 tie before an announced crowd of 35,834. “I think you can attribute all that to Kurt Roper and the offensive staff and the job they've done.</p><p>“Our kids have been very receptive and have confidence in what we're doing. I think it's a good fit moving forward. We didn't get to some of the quarterback running game, which is what you will see in the fall that helps us even further with (quarterback) Jeff (Driskel) and what he can do.”</p><p>After getting off to a slow start with a quick three-and-out, Driskel and the No. 1 offense rolled up and down the field the rest of the first half, scoring 23 points and piling up 258 total yards.</p><p>For the game, Driskel completed 19 of 33 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown (a 31-yard play to wide receiver Demarcus Robinson) and completed passes to eight different players.</p><p>“I thought we were very efficient. We moved the ball very well,” Driskel said. “We only turned it over one time, only had one penalty on (the No. 1) offense. When you're not beating yourself up, you can really gain momentum and gain confidence.</p><p>“We had some big plays. That's just something we're going to have to continue to do in order to have a good offense, and I think we will.”</p><p>Driskel, who appears comfortable in the no-huddle, shotgun scheme, said the players have great confidence in Roper's offense.</p><p>“It (means) a lot. You have to believe in the scheme, which I'm sure our guys do,” he said. “When you turn on the film of Duke from the last few years, they spread the ball around, they give it to a bunch of guys, and a bunch of guys making big plays.</p><p>“When you see that from their team, it's exciting when you look at our skill players on offense.”</p><p>UF's skill players certainly showed up Saturday.</p><p>Mack Brown and Adam Lane were effective running the ball, 12 different players caught passes for the Orange team, eight caught passes for the Blue and reserve quarterbacks Skyler Mornhinweg and Will Grier also did some positive things. Mornhinweg threw for 149 yards and two touchdowns, including a 10-yarder to tight end Bair Diamond that tied the game with only seven seconds remaining.</p><p>“(Today's performance) is definitely a sample of what we're going to do (this season),” said sophomore wide receiver Ahmad Fulwood, who had four receptions for 32 yards. “I mean, no huddles, speed, tempo, that's what we embark on, so I guess that's just what we're going to do. That's how we're going to show up when it comes to game day.</p><p>“You're not going to get anything less. We still have stuff to put in, but this (is the way we're going to play).”</p><p>If Saturday's performance is an indication of things to come, the Gators will be balanced on offense in the fall. It's something UF did not have last season, especially after Driskel was knocked out for the year in the third game.</p><p>UF has shown promise in the passing game this spring — and in Saturday's game.</p><p>“The passing game, we've really narrowed things down, we've simplified things for our receivers and quarterbacks in the amount of reads we're doing,” Muschamp said. “One of Kurt's strengths, and one of the reasons I hired him, is the development at the quarterback position. I think the guy is really good.</p><p>“I talked to Archie Manning a lot about the development of Eli (at Ole Miss under Roper) and what he felt Kurt did for him in that process. When you're able to talk to somebody first-hand it really says a lot about his development at the quarterback position. </p><p>“Jeff has made a lot of strides. Jeff hasn't played football in a while. He really missed the whole fall. He missed the first 12 days of camp and really played only two full ballgames. We're real pleased with where he is.”</p><p>Driskel said his confidence is up.</p><p>“I just think the more snaps you get as a quarterback, the more confidence you're going to have,” he said. “I think I'm seeing the field extremely well. I don't know if that's because I've gotten more experience and more confidence. I think that just comes with playing more football. But I think I am seeing the field really well right now and it's a lot of the game has slowed down for me."</p><p>Coming out of high school, Driskel was considered the nation's No. 1 dual-threat quarterback working out of a shotgun, spread offense similar to the one he finds himself in now under Roper.</p><p>“As a quarterback when you're in a no-huddle-type deal, you're able to get into rhythm,” he said. “We do have a lot of quick game and when you start getting completion after completion, it kind of builds your confidence and gets you in a rhythm that sometimes is tough for the defense to break."</p><p>Driskel and the Gators were in an offensive rhythm Saturday. Now it's a matter of finding a way to carry it over into the fall when the games count.</p><p>“The summer is for timing on the offensive side,” Driskel said. “We're going to have to throw a lot and get our timing down. You can't go back into fall camp without being in rhythm. So we're going to have to do that, but we're used to that. We've done that the past few summers. It's nothing new to us, and we're looking forward to it.”</p><p><i>Contact Robbie Andreu at 352-374-5022 or andreur@gvillesun.com. Also check out Andreu's blog at Gatorsports.com.</i></p>